Growing cells in the laboratory is an art that humans have mastered decades ago. Recreating entire three-dimensional tissues is much more challenging. Researchers are developing a new hydrogel-based material that makes it possible to engineer artificial skin tissues, which can serve as living three-dimensional models of human skin for better understanding and treating skin diseases.
ScienceDaily
Simulate sound in 3D at a finer scale than humans can perceive
Ambisonic rendering is a way to simulate the precise locations of sounds in 3D, and an ambisonics algorithm has allowed researchers to create rich virtual ‘soundscapes.’Researchers decided to test the limits of ambisonic sound reproduction through their ‘AudioDome’ loudspeaker array. Humans’ spatial acuity is high in front of our faces but decreases around the sides of our head, and the researchers’ experiments obtained very similar results from listeners in the AudioDome, proving that the loudspeaker array can reproduce sound locations at a spatial scale beyond the human limits of perception.
Preventing onset and development of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction
An international team of researchers has discovered a natural mechanism that protects the heart from heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), a serious condition in need of effective treatment. The team reports that when the cardioprotective mechanism fails, it promotes the development of HFpEF. Importantly, restoring the mechanism prevents the progression of the condition. The findings provide a promising therapeutic target to prevent and treat this life-threatening disease.
Southern shrews shrink in winter
Newly published research shows that the masked shrew, a small, mole-like mammal found in the Appalachian Mountains, shrinks its body and braincase to conserve energy during winter months.
Emotions and levels of threat affect communities’ resilience during extreme events
Researchers use mathematical modeling to probe whether cohesive communities are more resilient to extreme events, finding that emotional intensity and levels of stress play a big role.
New study finds surprising way to curb college-aged drinking harms — without cutting alcohol
Researchers have developed and tested an intervention called Counter-Attitudinal Advocacy and compared it to to the well-established Personalized Normative Feedback (PNF) to evaluate their effectiveness in decreasing drinks per week, peak blood alcohol concentration and alcohol-related consequences relative to a control group.
To avoid parasites, some fruit flies sacrifice sleep
Some fruit flies sacrifice sleep to avoid parasites like mites. Researchers discovered marked differences in gene expression related to metabolism in the hypervigilant flies.
The gut health benefits of sauerkraut
A new study suggests that sauerkraut could help protect your gut, an essential part of overall health.
AI tool to better assess Parkinson’s disease, other movement disorders
A groundbreaking open-source computer program uses artificial intelligence to analyze videos of patients with Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders. The tool, called VisionMD, helps doctors more accurately monitor subtle motor changes, improving patient care and advancing clinical research.
New method for detecting nanoplastics in body fluids
Microplastics and the much smaller nanoplastics enter the human body in various ways, for example through food or the air we breathe. A large proportion is excreted, but a certain amount remains in organs, blood and other body fluids. Scientists have now been able to develop a method for detecting and quantifying nanoplastics in transparent body fluids and determining their chemical composition.